By Andy Bedwell
Baked Spaghetti
1 pound ground
chuck, cooked
5 slices bacon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
3 cans of diced
tomatoes with liquid
1 can sliced ripe
black olives, drained
1 tablespoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
12 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 cups grated mozzarella
1 can cream of
mushroom soup
Parmesan cheese
Cook the bacon until slightly crisp, then break into smaller pieces. Sautee the onion and bell pepper until tender. Add tomatoes, olives, oregano, garlic, bacon pieces and cooked beef. Simmer this mixture uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Place half the spaghetti in a casserole dish and top the spaghetti with half of the beef-vegetable mixture. Sprinkle the layer with one cup of mozzarella cheese. Then repeat the layers. Mix the mushroom soup with about one-half can of water until smooth and pour over the casserole. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for at least 40 minutes or until hot.
Andy’s Note: This dish is just perfect for a picnic. It feeds a crowd and is easy to transport. Most children love any dish that has spaghetti, and I can assure you that you will never have any leftovers. I love to see this spaghetti bake in a white casserole dish. So attractive!
Deviled Eggs
1 dozen hard-boiled eggs
1 teaspoon mustard
½ cup sweet salad
cubed pickles
Salt and black pepper
to taste
Enough mayonnaise to
be creamy (I’m a
Bama Mayonnaise person)
After stuffing the halves with this mixture, sprinkle the tops with paprika.
Andy’s Note: I know this is a very simple recipe, but it is my recipe for deviled eggs and egg salad. I switched to the sweet pickle cubes several years ago. My daughter told me that she worked with a girl that made the best egg salad she had ever eaten. The difference in my recipe and hers was the sweet salad cubes. She also told me that she poured a little of the juice from the pickle jar in her mixture. Sometimes I process the pickles in my food processor when I am making a large amount. I don’t think I have ever seen any leftover deviled eggs that anyone has ever made. You don’t have to make them fancy, but you can dress them up some.
Jane’s Baked Beans
1 pound ground chuck
1 sweet onion,
finely chopped
1 green bell pepper,
finely chopped
2 cans 28 ounce
Bush’s Baked Beans
½ cup barbecue sauce
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons spicy
brown mustard
2 tablespoons
Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
6 slices bacon, cut
into small pieces
Brown ground chuck. When beef is about halfway done, add the onions and bell pepper. Add all other ingredients except the bacon. Simmer for five minutes. Transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle bacon pieces over the top and cover with foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake an additional 10 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees.
Andy’s Note: This is another one of Jane King’s recipes, and it is delicious. You just can’t have a picnic without baked beans.
Happy Picnic Cooking!
Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at The Messenger newspaper located at 1957 Rainbow Drive in Gadsden.